1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to watering devices and, more specifically, to a method and apparatus for watering houseplants wherein a digital timer and a pump are used to transfer water from a remoter reservoir to the soil in a planter in which a houseplant resides. The timer sets the time and duration for watering as well as on what days watering is to take place.
Caring for houseplants requires a specific watering schedule that varies from plant to plant. Some plants need to be watered each day and others only need water a few times a week thereby requiring the caretaker of the plant to pay attention to multiple schedules when a plurality of plants are being taken care of since overwatering or underwatering houseplants puts the health of the plants at risk and could kill them. Furthermore, the absence of the caretaker for any duration requires having someone else care for the plants and hope that they are diligent regarding the watering schedule for each plant. The health of the plants is important because they bring beauty to the area they are in, enhance the quality of the air, are the result of nurturing over a period of time and are often quite expensive to purchase.
The present invention seeks to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art by introducing an automated plant watering device and method of watering for use with any existing planter wherein a digital timer is used to set the days, times and duration of watering for the associated plant. The water is transferred from a reservoir to the soil in the planter via a small submersible pump disposed within the reservoir. A sensor disposed within said reservoir detects a low water condition and activates a visual and/or audible alarm to alert the user that the reservoir needs to be refilled. An auxiliary reservoir may be used to feed the primary reservoir via a siphon hose when the caretaker anticipates being absent for a prolonged period and would be unable to refill the reservoir when needed. A splitter may be used to water two planters simultaneously.
An additional element of the present invention includes an aerator that will emit a fine mist to the leaves of the plant during the winter months when plants most frequently die because of the low humidity in the air. The aerator will compensate for the lack of humidity and help provide year round plant care capabilities wherein the user only has to fill the reservoir when needed and add nutrients to the soil occasionally.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other watering devices designed for watering plants, while these watering devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described.